Dennis Thurman Accused Of Slapping Woman
via TMZ

NY Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman is under investigation for allegedly SLAPPING a woman at a New Jersey restaurant earlier this week ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports ... and we obtained photos taken during the heated exchange.

A 28-year-old woman has filed a police report with the Morristown PD, claiming she was at the outdoor bar at Pazzo Pazzo restaurant on Wednesday afternoon when she encountered Thurman.

According to the report, 58-year-old Thurman began hitting on her and offering her drinks -- but she made it clear she was not interested.

At that point, the woman claims Thurman "showed an aggressive demeanor toward her" and then "out of nowhere, Thurman slapped her across the face."

The woman says she was shocked and blurted out, "You just hit me."

TMZ Sports obtained 2 photos taken during the encounter -- one of which shows the woman flipping Thurman off moments before the slap ... and another photo appears to show Thurman following through after the alleged slap.

After the alleged slap, the woman claims Thurman -- who played 8 years in the NFL as a defensive back -- threw his hands up in the air and left the area.

The woman claims she was not injured during the incident, but filed the report out of concern Thurman would strike other women in the future.

So there isn't actually video of it, just a picture and 13 witnesses say he didn't? Non-story, this won't hold up in court. Those pictures don't lead me to think he slapped her, could be just a hand gesture like "get away".

Tim Dolan, 43, of Bloomfield, NJ, told The Post he was sitting with two friends at a nearby table and did not witness any unnecessary roughness.

“I was sitting at a table eight feet away with a client and saw Thurman arrive and sit at the bar next to the woman and her friend,” Dolan said. “They began having a conversation, and at times the woman seemed open to him and would turn to him, and other times she would turn back to her friend and show her back to him. This went on for 20 minutes. It didn’t look like they were in an argument.
“Then I saw Thurman get up from the bar and walk away and head towards the restaurant, before saying, ‘What? I was trying to give you a high five!’
“The woman’s friend then asked us, ‘Did you see him slap her in the face?’ If I had seen something I would have said or done something, but he didn’t hit her.”

Whenever someone in the public eye is accused of wrongdoing, it’s always possible that the accusation is something other than true. When it comes to the accusation made against Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, that possibility is enhanced by the reality (as reported by the New York Daily News) that his accuser previously was arrested for making a false report.

Via Seth Walder and Corrine Lestch of the Daily News, 28-year-old Jessie Steinberg declined comment on the accuracy of an online background report showing that she was once arrested for making a fictitious claim. The case had no date attached to it.

In the current case, Steinberg contends that Thurman slapped her hand and grazed her face after she gave him the one-fingered peace sign.

“I’m not hurt, but it was scary to have a man I didn’t know stand over me like that,” Steinberg said. “Just because he’s Dennis Thurman, he can’t go around and act like that towards women.”

A photo obtained by TMZ appears to show the woman firing off the middle finger to Thurman while his hand moves toward it.

Thurman wasn’t arrested, and it’s difficult to imagine anything coming from the situation. While he remains subject to scrutiny under the Personal Conduct Policy, what’s the discipline for a slap that causes no injury to a hand making an obscene gesture?

I've just come to realize that no matter what happens and how credible something sounds (or actually is), someone will always have something to say and complain. Doesn't make it good, doesn't make it bad...just is what it is

Well unless there is evidence he has to be presumed innocent. Even if he did slap her if no one saw it happen then she is out of luck. One thing I will say though is Thurman probably did harass to much verbally and should have gotten the point when when she said no. Maybe he was drinking to much and wasn't thinking and pressed to much with talking to her when she wasn't interested.

Either way without witnesses or video it's word against word and he will be innocent. Thurman as a high profile guy shouldn't have put himself in the situation to get the bad press for the Org either way. The Jets org has had enough bad press.

I've just come to realize that no matter what happens and how credible something sounds (or actually is), someone will always have something to say and complain. Doesn't make it good, doesn't make it bad...just is what it is